The American actor Stafford Repp, best known for his role as Police Chief O’Hara in the 1960’s ABC TV series “Batman” was born today in 1918. Now WE know em

Soon after the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 23 year old joined the Army Air Corps where he served during World War II.

After the war, Stafford landed a job creating sound effects during the Golden Age of Television.

He made the switch to acting in 1955 when he landed a small role in the NBC Western series “Frontier” and then the 1956 film “The Price of Fear.”

Stafford Repp in the 1956 film The Price of Fear

Stafford continued with television productions in 1957 such as Barbara Eden‘s “How to Marry a Millionaire,” Walter Brennan’s “The Real McCoys,” and Peter Lawford‘s “The Thin Man.”

In 1958, he appeared on Tom Tryon‘s “Texas John Slaughter” before making two films, “I Want to Live!” with Susan Hayward, and “The Brothers Karamazov.”

Stafford appeared on the 1959 TV show Rawhide, Rex Allen‘s Frontier Doctor , and as Amos Dayton on the NBC show “The Californians.”

He made four appearances between 1959 and 1962 on the show Perry Mason.

1960 brought him roles on the Barry Sullivan/Clu Gulager western The Tall Man, Guestward, Ho!, The Twilight Zone, the CBS DuPont Show with June Allyson, as well as an appearance on the Donna Reed Show.

Stafford continued with television appearances in Howard Duff’s Dante, Dennis the Menace, the CBS sitcom “Angel,” “Our Man Higgins” as Buckmaster, and “The New Phil Silvers Show” where he portrayed the factory supervisor Brink.

Then for the last season of “My Favorite Martian” he appeared as a railroad detective.

But it was his next role that most remember Stafford for.

Batman

Stafford Repp landed the role as Police Chief O’Hara for the ABC TV series “Batman” which aired from 1966 to 1968.

He developed a thick Irish brogue for this role, to the dismay of Neil Hamilton who played Commissioner Gordon.

While appearing on Batman, Stafford made numerous appearances on other television shows including “I Dream of Jeannie.”

Then after Batman was cancelled in 1968, Stafford wisely invested his money with a partnership in a chain of car washes, which brought him considerable financial success.

His last released film was Cycle Psycho in 1973.

Stafford Repp suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 56 on November 5, 1974, while at the Hollywood Park Racetrack.

He is interred at Westminster Memorial Park in Westminster, California.

Stafford had made a television appearance on the popular TV show M*A*S*H (as a Military Police Officer) which was broadcast after his death.

Shortly before his death in 1974 he had also filmed several scenes in Orson Welles‘ unfinished film The Other Side of the Wind.

His sister, a television writer, established the Stafford Repp Memorial Scholarship for alumni of his alma mater, Lowell High School.